Prepare For August With This July 2011 Auto Sales Recap For America And Canada

Automobile manufacturers will be revealing their August 2011 sales data tomorrow. With that in mind, here are the most important facts you need to know from GoodCarBadCar.net's rundown of July 2011's auto sales data as we head prepare for tomorrow's reports.

In America, Ford ended the first seven months of 2011 with a 149,961-unit lead over Chevrolet, its nearest rival. Toyota was down 6.2% year-to-date (down 22.8% in July) while July's fifth-ranked brand, Honda, was down 28.5% and 2.4% year-to-date. Through July, America's best-selling premium brand was Mercedes-Benz, but July was in fact BMW's month as the Munich-based brand beat the Stuttgart-based brand by 671 vehicles. The U.S. Auto Sales By Brand post for July is here.

The Chevrolet Camaro out-sold the Ford Mustang. Though sales fell 22.9% the Toyota Camry was the best-selling car in the United States in July. The Ford Escape was the best-selling SUV in America; 60% of the 10 top-selling SUVs were built by the Detroit Three. As the best-selling truck in America the Ford F-Series topped combined Chevrolet Silverado/GMC Sierra sales by 3387. 20.3% of all new vehicle sales in July occurred in General Motors showrooms. America's worst-selling vehicle was either the Acura ZDX, Mazda RX-8, or Lexus LFA, depending how you look at it. The BMW 3-Series was easily the most popular premium car in July.

Together, America's 20 most popular vehicles owned 39.2% of the overall market. Luxury brands owned 10.8% of the overall market. The Saab 9-4X found a few buyers. And 19 vehicles found themselves with more than 100,000 sales through seven months.

Meanwhile, Ford continued to be the top selling brand in Canada. The Blue Oval's year-to-date lead over Dodge/Ram expanded to 56,335 units. As in the United States, BMW beat Mercedes-Benz in July but still ended the month behind on year-to-date terms. Ford/Lincoln and Chrysler Canada both held greater market share than General Motors in July.

For the fifth time in 2011 the Hyundai Elantra was the best-selling car in Canada. Ford Escape sales were down 6.1% but the antiquated Ford manhandled the much-improved Dodge Journey, beating it by 1200 sales. Canada's seven best-selling trucks, including the top-ranked Ford F-Series, all suffered year-over-year sales declines in July.

Canada's 20 most popular vehicles grabbed just under half of all new vehicle sales last month. Although BMW, Mercedes-Benz, and Audi held the top three spots among premium brands, restoration began for Japan's three luxury automakers. BMW's 3-Series was the best-selling luxury vehicle; the best-selling luxury utility vehicle was the Mercedes-Benz GLK, sales of which fell by three units. Depending on your angle, July's worst-selling vehicle in Canada was either the Acura RL, Honda Insight, or Kia Borrego.

Check out August 2010's U.S. auto sales data here; August 2010's Canadian sales stats here. Now you can consider yourself ready to drink in August's data. You're now asking why there are pictures of the Ferrari 458 Spider all over this post. You should be asking, "Why aren't there always pictures of the Ferrari 458 Spider plastered all over GoodCarBadCar?"

Price - 2012 Volkswagen Passat vs Ford Fusion vs Hyundai Sonata - With Canadian Midsize Sales Chart

Volkswagen Canada announced pricing for the 2012 Passat some time ago, but with the car finally arriving at dealers, it seemed like a good time to measure the 2012 model's value against the segment's Canadian leaders. The top selling midsize car in Canada isn't the Toyota Camry, nor is it the Honda Accord. So far this year the Ford Fusion leads the midsize pack. The Hyundai Sonata ranks second. 

With the new 2012 Volkswagen Passat looking to shake things up considerably, it's also worth seeing how much the segment has changed over the last five years. The chart below displays year end sales volume for nine cars (including the Passat/Passat CC combo) from 2006 to 2010 as well as the first seven months of 2011. Notice the Toyota Camry's decline, the Toyota Venza's assistance, the Fusion's gradual increase, Subaru's uptick, and the Passat's inconsequential volume. 

Passat volume in Canada has always been reported with the CC. Those cars are mostly unrelated now so perhaps Volkswagen Canada will begin reflecting that in sales reports soon.

CLICK CHART FOR LARGER VIEW
2011 YTD: Malibu Down 16.7%, Fusion Down 2.2%, Accord down 33.6%, Sonata up 24.3%, 
Altima up 14.1%, Subaru up 12%, Camry down 35.4%, Venza down 7.3%, Passat/CC down 55.5%

Back to prices, the basic Passat stickers for $23,975. The 2.0L diesel is the one you'll want, though. TDI prices range from $27,475 to just under $34K for the loaded Highline. The V6 is powerful but probably an unnecessary extravagance given the 2.0L TDI's swelling torque, along with its MSRP advantage and fuel savings. 

Despite VW's huge price decreases you can still pay less for a 2012 Hyundai Sonata or 2012 Ford Fusion. For less than the price of a Comfortline TDI you could have a turbocharged Sonata, a car The Good Car Guy was really impressed with in loaded $34,199 trim.

For basic midsize savings, however, Ford has even Hyundai beat. At $19K the Fusion's main rival is a decently equipped Focus. Apart from options the top-of-the-line all-wheel drive Fusion Sport with a 3.5L V6 costs less than a Passat Comfortline V6. The Fusion is more to look at, too, although the Passat leaves more of an impression than first believed. That is, if you notice it. And that's a big if, particularly considering the eye-catching nature of the Sonata or Hyundai's platform-sharing partner from Kia, the totally revamped Optima.

Volkswagen Passat	2.5	TDI	V6
Trendline	$23,975	$27,475	-----
Trendline +	$24,875	-----	-----
Comfortline	$27,975	$30,575	$33,575
Highline	$31,475	$33,775	$37,475
Hyundai Sonata	2.4	2.0T	Hybrid
Base (GL, 2.0T, Hybrid)	$22,699	$29,249	$29,999
GLS	$26,499	-----	-----
Limited	$28,899	$32,399	-----
Limited With Navigation	$31,699	$34,199	-----
Premium	-----	-----	$34,499
Ford Fusion	2.5	V6	Hybrid
S	$19,084	-----	-----
SE	$21,799	-----	-----
SEL	$24,469	-----	-----
SEL AWD 3.0	-----	$28,919	-----
Sport AWD 3.5	-----	$32,568	-----
Hybrid	-----	-----	$31,684

Freight and delivery costs $1565 at Hyundai dealers, $1450 at Ford, and presumably $1365 at Volkswagen, based on freight costs for other Volkswagens. Add $1600 for an automatic on the Sonata GL. An automatic transmission is a $1220 option on the Fusion S and Fusion SE. The VR6-engined Passat is equipped with an automatic, but optioning the TDI and 2.5 with an auto tranny should cost between $1400 and $1625.

Related From GoodCarBadCar.net
2012 Volkswagen Passat Style Analysis & Gallery
Midsize Car Sales In Canada - July 2011
Midsize Car Sales In Canada - June 2011
Midsize Car Sales In Canada - 2010 Year End

Top 20 Most Improved Cars In America Through July 2011

Establishing this list of the most improved vehicles in America so far in 2011 wasn't difficult. We're simply sorting sales. However, there are a bunch of qualified candidates, particularly near the top of the list, which are unfairly stealing the limelight.

Sales of Dodge Durango came to a halt a long time ago... mostly. But because there were still a few previous-generation Durangos (46, to be exact) sold in the first seven months of 2011, the new Durango didn't come on stream like a brand new vehicle. Instead, to spreadsheet software, the Durango looks like a replacement, one which had room for improvement. That's not entirely untrue. Through the end of July Dodge Durango sales were up 62,802% in America. The Nissan Quest's story is very similar - 169 of the old Quests were still available to be purchased in the first seven months of 2010. And they were.

The Mazda 2, Ford Fiesta, and Buick Regal were all newcomers last year. In the Buick's case, this means seven months of 2011 selling is being compared in year-over-year fashion with just three months of 2010 selling. In the Fiesta's case, seven months is up against just two months from 2010. The Mazda 2 only went on sale in July of 2010. Of course there will be improvements. In Saab's case, the maker of the 9-5 and 9-3 was escaping death. Fancy that, the Swedes are trying to sing the same tune a year later. 

Exclude those vehicles and the most improved car sales numbers are owned by the Audi A8, sales of which rose 597.7% in the first 58% of 2011. The third-generation A8 has brought in an extra 2827 sales for Audi so far this year. On year-over-year percentage gains terms, that sounds great. 598% is a big number. But feel free to use the Ford F-Series as an example of true improvement. 

Sales of the F-Series truck line are up 7.7%, which sounds like nothing when contrasted with the Audi A8's 598% jump. But 7.7% for the F-Series means 22,389 more sales in the first seven months of 2011 than there were in the same period of last year. In other words, the F-Series' improvement alone is worth nearly seven times more sales to Ford than the A8's total is to Audi. 

Consider that perspective while scanning this list of America's 20 most improved auto sellers through July of 2011. It's a list which, we must point out, does not include the Mercedes-Benz Sprinter. It was up 122% through July, however. But it would've meant the Mitsubishi Galant was going to be kicked off. And we can't have that.

TOP 20 MOST IMPROVED VEHICLES IN AMERICA

Rank	Vehicle	% Increase	2011 YTD
#1	Dodge Durango	+62,802	28,935
#2	Mazda 2	+22,300	8512
#3	Nissan Quest	+3816	6618
#4	Buick Regal	+1074	25,512
#5	Ford Fiesta	+984	47,425
#6	Saab 9-5	+714	806
#7	Audi A8	+598	3300
#8	BMW X3	+274	14,932
#9	Saab 9-3	+191	3032
#10	Mitsubishi Endeavor	+188	6546
#11	Kia Sportage	+180	29,302
#12	Kia Optima	+148	43,389
#13	Porsche Cayenne	+134	8219
#14	Audi R8	+128	682
#15	Jaguar XJ	+123	3431
#16	Jeep Compass	+123	25,191
#17	Mitsubishi Eclipse	+110	6102
#18	Jeep Grand Cherokee	+107	63,869
#19	Ford Explorer	+98	75,720
#20	Mitsubishi Galant	+90	11,896

Related From GoodCarBadCar.net
Top 10 Worst-Selling Cars In America - July 2011
Top 20 Best-Selling Cars In America - July 2011
Top 30 Best-Selling Luxury Vehicles In America - July 2011

America's 100,000 Vehicle Sales Club Through July 2011

Selling more than 100,000 of anything requires a bit of planning. We saw kids trying to redirect lemonade buyers to a cul-de-sac with illegible signs. It was a grey day; it wasn't hot at all. Their marketing wasn't very good. They're location was dreadful. As a result, I can't even tell you if the product was any good. They probably didn't sell 100,000 cups. Sorry kids; it's not as easy as it looks.

Through the first seven months of 2011 eight automakers have sold 19 different vehicles on more than 100,000 occasions. More than 200,000 sales have already been reached by two automakers with their pickup trucks. Ford has topped the 300K mark with America's favourite truck. This doesn't happen by designing any old four-wheeled machine in your garage. Billions of dollars have been spent to make the 19 vehicles listed in the chart below successful products worthy of your attention and the attention of hundreds of thousands of others new car buyers. Just as hundreds of hours of hard work would go in to recording an album for 100,000 listeners.

There are four new models in the 100,000 club that didn't make it in the first seven months of 2010. The Volkswagen Jetta, Chevrolet Equinox, Hyundai Elantra, and Chevrolet Cruze/Cobalt are newcomers. The other 15 were all present at the end of July 2010 as well, although sales of Honda Accord, Honda Civic, Toyota Camry, and Toyota Corolla and Matrix were lower through July 2011 than they were in July 2010.

Of course the Ford F-Series is the most popular vehicle nameplate in America. But 68% of this group of 19 vehicles are passenger cars in the traditional sense. Their leader, not surprisingly, is the Toyota Camry.

CLICK CHART FOR LARGER VIEW

Related From GoodCarBadCar.net
America's Best-Selling Cars, SUVs & Trucks - January-July 2011
America's Complete July 2011 Auto Sales Rundown
Top 10 Worst-Selling Cars In America - July 2011

Charting U.S. Sales Declines For Toyota and Honda In 2011

Honda and Toyota sales fell 28.5% and 22.8%, respectively, in July 2011. It's not as though the U.S. auto market is in prime operating condition, but America's two favourite Japanese automakers aren't struggling to sell vehicles because of economic concerns in the United States.

Ever since Japan's March 11 Tōhoku earthquake, corporations of all kinds have faced the same kind of problems ordinary Japanese citizens have encountered. Getting life, or production, back to normal in the wake of the post-quake tsunami and evacuations which can be traced back to a nuclear disaster isn't a task for the fainthearted.

Year-to-date, through seven months of 2011, Toyota is down 6.2% and Honda is down 2.4%. (Toyota's premium Lexus brand is off 18.6%. Toyota's youth-oriented Scion brand is up 17.4%. Honda's premium division, Acura, is down 5.5%.) The first quarter wasn't the problem. It was the second quarter and the beginning of the third quarter, a period in which supply at Toyota and Honda dealerships was scarce, which really harmed their ability to report normal sales levels. How can a company report level or increasing sales when they don't have cars to sell?

It's not as though Toyota and Honda are the only ones struggling to succeed during the last few months. Japan's prime minister just resigned, for example. Nevertheless, it's fair to say that the troubles faced by Toyota and Honda over the last three months have provided an opportunity for other automakers to grab market share, just as Prime Minister Kan's resignation opens the door for Yoshihiko Noda. Evidence of that fact is obvious. Rather than their standing amongst global rivals, what Toyota and Honda really want to see recover are the sales volumes of years past. 

The charts below imagine falling sales as if falling sales are coloured columns which rise and... er, fall. You'll see five different Toyotas, four different Hondas, and the Acura division as a whole. May 2009, May 2010, and May 2011 can be seen in blue, chronologically; moving from the left to right. June is red. July is green.

The declines are obvious. If the numbers from Best Seller lists and U.S. Auto Sales By Brand posts weren't grabbing you, these charts will go a long way to convincing you that supply issues at Toyota and Honda dealerships over the last three months or so have utterly crushed the autumn vacation dreams of many salesmen. That news shouldn't be taken lightly. Automotive News says August won't be much better.

CLICK EITHER GRAPH FOR A LARGER VIEW

Related From GoodCarBadCar.net
U.S. Auto Sales By Brand - July 2011
U.S. Auto Sales By Brand - June 2011
U.S. Auto Sales By Brand - May 2011
U.S. Auto Sales By Brand - 2010 Year End
Top 20 Best-Selling Cars In America - July 2011

Canada's Best-Selling Cars, Trucks & SUVs In 2011 - January Through July

On Monday GoodCarBadCar.net published year-to-date rankings of America's best-selling cars, trucks, and utility vehicles. Today it's Canada's turn, and boy things sure are different north of the 49th parallel. 

Instead of ranking eighth with a 9.7% year-over-year decline, the Honda Civic is Canada's best-selling car through seven months with a 5.2% drop. Only in March and April was the Civic Canada's most popular, but its lead in those months was substantial enough to keep the surging Hyundai Elantra at bay.

Canada's best-selling SUV is the Ford Escape; as it has been in every single month of 2011 save for April, when the Dodge Journey roared into top spot. Try pairing the GMC Terrain and fourth-ranked Chevrolet Equinox and General Motors finds itself in second spot among utility vehicles.

The Cadillac Escalade EXT Is Canada's 16th-Best-Selling Truck

Don't allow yourself to believe that the Ford F-Series wouldn't be Canada's best-selling truck if only GM would just market the GMC Sierra and Chevrolet Silverado twins as one truck. All of GM's pickups - that's the Sierra, Silverado, Avalanche, Colorado, Canyon, and Escalade EXT - combined for 53,973 sales from January to July. 

Yup, the F-Series out-sold the whole GM truck fleet; not just the Sierra; not just the Sierra and Silverado. Everything. All them there GM pickup trucks. The F-Series is down 1.1% compared with the first seven months of 2010.

The 25 best-selling cars, 20 best-selling SUVs, and 16 best-selling trucks (that's all the trucks there are) in Canada are in the tables below. Don't forget about minivans, though. The Dodge Grand Caravan is Canada's third-ranked vehicle overall.

                 TOP 25 BEST-SELLING CARS IN CANADA                  

Rank	Car	January-July 2011	% Change
#1	Honda Civic	29,974	-5.2
#2	Hyundai Elantra	29,051	+65.7
#3	Mazda 3	22,069	-28.9
#4	Chevrolet Cruze/Cobalt	22,055	+50.3
#5	Toyota Corolla	21,574	-9.2
#6	Volkswagen Jetta	16,391	+145.7
#7	Ford Focus	15,409	+6.1
#8	Hyundai Accent	13,638	-18.6
#9	Ford Fusion	12,619	-2.2
#10	Hyundai Sonata	10,429	+24.3
#11	Nissan Versa	9704	-10.3
#12	Kia Forte	9311	+17.5
#13	Nissan Sentra	9193	-4.0
#14	Nissan Altima	8959	+14.1
#15	Ford Fiesta	8435	+1998.3
#16	Volkswagen Golf	8306	-30.8
#17	Toyota Matrix	8168	-32.4
#18	BMW 3-Series	6915	-5.1
#19	Toyota Venza	6852	-7.3
#20	Kia Soul	6851	+11.4
#21	Chevrolet Malibu	6776	-16.7
#22	Chevrolet Impala	6118	-23.4
#23	Toyota Camry	5968	-35.4
#24	Mazda 2	5888	+3557.1
#25	Honda Accord	5431	-33.6

                 TOP 20 BEST-SELLING SUVs IN CANADA

Rank	SUV	January-July 2011	% Change
#1	Ford Escape	27,506	+3.1
#2	Dodge Journey	19,192	+50.0
#3	Hyundai Santa Fe	15,591	-1.1
#4	Chevrolet Equinox	13,936	+25.5
#5	Honda CR-V	13,666	-10.4
#6	Toyota RAV4	12,840	-6.9
#7	Jeep Wrangler	10,183	+33.0
#8	Hyundai Tucson	9638	+13.3
#9	Ford Edge	9445	+1.3
#10	Kia Sorento	8610	+69.7
#11	GMC Terrain	7379	+26.7
#12	Nissan Rogue	6909	-11.1
#13	Jeep Grand Cherokee	5959	+135.3
#14	Ford Explorer	5502	+96.0
#15	Jeep Patriot	5043	-20.2
#16	Subaru Forester	4673	-7.9
#17	Kia Sportage	4422	+129.1
#18	Mitsubishi RVR	4396	-----
#19	Jeep Compass	4139	+37.5
#20	Lexus RX	3761	-14.2

                 TOP 16 BEST-SELLING TRUCKS IN CANADA

Rank	Truck	January-July 2011	% Change
#1	Ford F-Series	55,390	-1.1
#2	Dodge Ram	36,944	+14.8
#3	GMC Sierra	26,043	-2.2
#4	Chevrolet Silverado	22,729	-5.7
#5	Ford Ranger	9546	-27.7
#6	Toyota Tacoma	4289	-18.8
#7	Toyota Tundra	3964	-16.1
#8	Chevrolet Avalanche	2056	-3.0
#9	Chevrolet Colorado	1613	-33.8
#10	Nissan Frontier	1416	+37.7
#11	GMC Canyon	1415	-31.8
#12	Nissan Titan	1376	+45.3
#13	Dodge Dakota	1263	+10.8
#14	Honda Ridgeline	831	-54.3
#15	Mazda B-Series	661	-45.0
#16	Cadillac Escalade EXT	117	-7.1

Source: Automakers & ANDC

Related From GoodCarBadCar.net
Top 20 Best-Selling Cars In Canada - 2010 Year End
Top 20 Best-Selling SUVs In Canada - 2010 Year End
Top 5 Best-Selling Trucks In Canada - 2010 Year End
July 2011 Canada Auto Sales Rundown
America's Best-Selling Cars, Trucks & SUVs - July 2011 YTD